Picture Imperfection
by Randy Davis.Callie Cohen
Summary: Mark's cousin comes to live with the Bohos after going through some hard times. Of course, she and Roger hit it off sharing embarassing stories about Mark and begin to get close. Maybe closer than Mimi or Mark would like. ON HOLD
1. Intro:Bad Day for Gen,Surprise for Mark

_Mark's POV_

Genevive was always my favorite cousin. Though it was pure coincidence that we had been born in the same hospital on the same night a mere three hours apart, we were convinced that it was fate. Later, as children she was my first film subject. Granted, we were only using our grandfather's ancient camera and she was dressed up in one of my grandmother's old dresses that was several sizes too big for her, but even then she had a talent for performing while I was better behind the camera. As young teens, Gen once punched a guy in the face when he had me pressed up against a wall with his fist inches from my nose. I always told her I'd be in debt to her forevermore, but she just rolled her eyes and insisted that I never mention it again. When we were teens at Scarsdale High, Genevive was a hopeless romantic who found her prince charming and went on to marry him a few years later.

Which is why I surprised when she came to the loft bleeding and crying that night.

_Genevive's POV_

When David, my husband of nearly three years, kicked me out of the apartment and pulled a knife on me, I couldn't think of anywhere to go. I had had the worst day to begin with. My car, my one and only mode of transportation, was stolen from outside of my office building. I lost the only job I've ever been able to keep, and I came home to find my husband kissing the girl I thought was my best friend. And that asshole had the nerve to kick _me _out.

And so I ended up walking down the rainy Manhattan street, pulling my light jacket as close to me as possible. I should have been paying more attention to where I was going, but I wasn't, and I ended up getting hit by the end of a long steel beam from a construction site. I was knocked to the ground with a sizable gash in my head. From the ground, I noticed the street sign on the corner. It read 11th Street and Avenue B on either side. That's when it hit me like the beam that had left the wound on my head. This was where Cousin Marky lived with his two roommates… what were their names again? I vaguely remembered meeting them once, but the names were far gone from my mind.

I made my way slowly up to the top floor of the old flat, holding my head and trying to wipe the tears from my eyes.


	2. Chapter One: It All Comes Out

_Genevive's POV_

When Mark opened the door, he looked incredibly surprised. I felt somewhat ashamed to be asking him for help after not seeing him in two and a half years, but I had nowhere else to turn I guess. "Hi Marky," I said tentatively.

"God, no one's called me that in years," he laughed, "What happened to you?"

"Really _really _bad day," I said simply. He nodded and let me in, turning to who I assumed was one of his roommates who was sitting on the beat up couch strumming a guitar for the amusement of a young Latina.

"Roger," he said, "Do we still have that medical gauze from your mom?"

"Yeah," the man, Roger, replied, "Wh- oh." He caught sight of me and my injury and immediately jumped up and ran towards what was- if my memory was correct- the bathroom. He returned a moment later with a roll of gauze that he handed to Mark. "Genevive, right?" he asked while Mark was wrapping the gauze around my head. I nodded. "What the hell are you doing here after… how long was it?"

"Two and a half years," Mark answered dryly. I felt a pang of guilt that he kept track of how long it had been.

"I'm sorry it's been so long," I said honestly, "Really, I would have come to see you all the time, but David always had some excuse for me not to come. It'd be bad for the baby-"

"- YOU HAVE A CHILD!!??!!??" Mark exclaimed. I sighed.

"Not anymore. Last year, I was pregnant. I had a miscarriage."

"Oh my god, Gen, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's alright."

"So, what happened to you? Why are you here? Not that I'm complaining, but I'm curious."

"Well, at first I really didn't intend to end up here. David kicked me out and I was on the bus to go back to Scarsdale, but I thought I'd stop here in the city to get my mind off of things. I ended up walking down 11th Street, and I wasn't paying attention-"

"You never do," Mark smiled lightly.

"Hush now. But I got hit in the head by a steel beam from that construction sight next door."

"YOU DID WHAT!!??!!" Roger exclaimed excitedly, "Benny's little cyberstudio project hurt someone. Do you think Joanne would represent us if we wanted to sue him for it?"

"Probably, but can we talk about this later?" Mark shook his head. Roger was silent, but I was sure this would come up again in the near future. "Why did David kick you out?" he asked, "You guys always seemed like a perfect couple."

"You haven't seen me since I got married to the bastard," I growled, "Well, to start out with, my car was stolen and I lost my job, but what really got him was that I caught him making out with the girl who was supposed to be my best friend. And he actually kicked _me_ out."

"Ouch," Mark said, rubbing my shoulder, "I'm sorry about that."

"No need," I said, shaking my head, "I was going to leave him anyway. I haven't seen anyone in the family since I married him."

"Well, you're welcome to stay in Maureen's old room until your back on your feet."

"Thanks Marky," I smiled, standing up and hugging him.

"I thought you didn't let people call you Marky," Roger teased, a huge smile across his face.

"She's an exception," Mark explained, "We've known each other our whole lives."

"Except for the wonderful three hours when I was the only Cohen infant in the hospital," I laughed, pushing him playfully.

_Roger's POV_

To say the least, I was surprised when I saw the little strawberry blonde woman that I hadn't seen in three years coming into the door behind Mark, and even more surprised to see that what I thought was a streak in her hair was actually a sizable gash at the top of her head. So naturally, I was up getting the medical gauze immediately.

Later, as Gen was telling me what happened to her, I couldn't help feeling like we were a little bit alike. I was kind of interested in getting to know more about the new her. After all, she was now twenty two. The last time I saw her, she was a nineteen year old kid who was just as excited to be in New York as Mark was.

Never did I think of the trouble she would cause.

_Mark's POV_

Poor Gen. I mean, she started with the perfect marriage and ended up crying on my couch. Though I didn't say anything, I was thankful Roger was there. He was making her laugh, and that was something she needed if she was still the girl I knew from childhood.

My one question that still hadn't been answered: _was _she the same girl I had always known?

**A/N-** **okay, so I know this chapter is kind of so-so, but if you took the time to read it, doesn't it seem fair to at least tell me what you think? Whether you liked it or thought it needed work. Just give me some suggestions.**


	3. Chapter 3: Memories and Updates

_Genevive's POV_

Maureen's old bedroom was a little small, but no doubt cozy. It felt good to be alone where no one would ask what I was thinking about. It seemed that those times were never around when I was married. I was either at work, hosting one of David's business parties, or with him. Now, I was thinking about what my marriage really was.

I was a trophy wife. That's what it came down to. I was meant to be seen and not heard, and I was never allowed to let my appearance be what I wanted it to be. I once thought about growing my hair out, but David told me that it would be "inappropriate for a woman my age to let my hair fall below my shoulders". It seemed like an act everyday, to get up and pretend I was happy with my marriage, to pretend like it was flawless, to pretend like I didn't want to cry every time I saw him. I thought about all the mornings I spent covering up bruises, piling on makeup to make my eyes look normal. The thing was, as much as he hurt me, I couldn't bring myself to leave him, and he always had the best ways to apologize.

I fell asleep in tears, for once not caring if someone was to walk in on me. I knew Mark wouldn't, and I was pretty sure Roger wouldn't care. When I woke up the next morning, it took me awhile to remember where I was and what had happened the night before. My pillow was soaked with tears, and when I stood up and caught my reflection in the old dirty mirror I realized my eyes were red and puffy. I shook my head and went into the main room of the loft.

Roger was sitting in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal. "Wow," he smirked, "You look like hell."

"Well, I had a rough night," I pouted.

"I know honey," he said consolingly, putting a hand on my shoulder. He paused for a moment before adding- more to himself than me- "My god, I'm sounding like Angel now."

"Who?"

"Oh, just Collins' former boyfriend. He died of AIDS last year."

"Oh dear," I put a hand to my mouth, "Is Collins okay?"

"Yeah, he's been fine. Moved out a few times. He's living in a loft down on Avenue A now."

"Ahh," I nodded. Suddenly, Mark appeared from where I assumed was his room. He looked like he was exhausted.

"Good morning sunshine," I smiled brightly. He looked up and scowled at me.

"Smart ass," he growled. I giggled and Roger started to laugh.

"Oh, sounds like someone's grouchy about working," he joked in a mock-baby voice.

"You're working?" I asked. He nodded, looking a bit ashamed. "Well, what do you do?"

"I… I'd rather not say."

"Oh come on _Marky_," Roger mocked, "I never get tired of hearing this."

"Uh oh, I'm not sure I want to know anymore," I laughed.

"Thank you," Mark replied quickly.

"Tell me," I instructed.

"Okay, I'm a cameraman." For a second I thought that was it, and I stared at him in disbelief. Then, he added, "For pornos."

_Mark's POV_

I had gotten up much earlier than I technically had to, but I couldn't go back to sleep. I was thinking about Genevive and me when we were kids. Everyone said we were twins, and to a certain point, I guess I agreed. Her parents were hardly ever around, so she spent a lot of time with my family. Well, my mom and I anyway. Cindy was never interested in anything we did, and my dad worked all the time. There were several memories clear in my mind of us laughing.

She once told me that if I said gullible really slowly, it would sound like green beans, and when I fell for it she started laughing hysterically. I don't know why I remembered that, but it was a great memory when Genevive came to mind. And there was the time she had the bright idea of starting a band with a few of her friends from school. That failed miserably, and I had the whole thing on tape. Somehow, whenever either of us was feeling down about failure, that video made us laugh. I don't think their performance could have been any worse, the best part being Gen's singing and the worst being her best friend's feeble attempt at playing the drums.

There were also the memories of her at her weakest, like when she fell off the wall she was walking on and hit her head. I never liked seeing her in as much pain as she was that day. Of course, she always insisted she was fine. She may have been a bit of a drama queen, but she was perfectly content for people to downplay her troubles.

When I heard Roger and Gen talking in the kitchen, I decided it was time to get up and actually start my day. I stood up stretching and slowly made my way to the main room of the loft and into the kitchen, dreading my first day of work.

Roger was… well Roger. Always was and always will be. As much as he tried to act like he didn't care about anyone else, he was a sensitive guy. He was standing with his hand on Gen's shoulder, who looked like she had been crying all night. When she saw me, her face lit up a little bit.

"Good morning sunshine," she smiled brightly.

"Smart ass," I growled. She giggled and Roger laughed.

"Looks like someone's grouchy about working," he mocked. _Damn right I'm grouchy about working _I thought bitterly _you'd be grouchy too if you had to film people having sex all day._

How ironic that the guy who hasn't been laid in who knows how long gets the job to film the people who do it for a living.


	4. Author's Notice

Hello Readers,

If you had me on your alert list, I'm sorry to get your hopes up just to let you down with this update. I'm putting this story on hold for the time being so I can work on the two stories I started before it. I will continue with this story when I have finished with those. In the mean time, if you haven't read my other two stories, please take a look at them. **And So Our Stories Begin**, rated T, and **Complications**, rated M (and heavily so).

Again, I apologize and hope to see you all again when I resume writing for this.

Sincerely and apologetically

Vanessa (Randy Cohen)


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